The Hangover
by Chiikyuggi
Summary: A nightclub and two drunken ninjas. Separated by their villages, they'll be brought together by the strangest of situations... A GaaSaku Story.


**This one suddenly came to me and I spent a whole afternoon writing it in fear that I would lose it if I stopped.**

**Enjoy!**

**P.S.: For my GOTS fans, it might take a while to write a new chapter...**

* * *

Sabaku no Gaara hated nightclubs.

He absolutely **loathed** them.

More than he hated the circus that was in Suna at the moment.

Right now he was trying to find an acceptable excuse to leave his brother's birthday party before he killed someone. Like the whore that was dancing in front of him, thinking she was sexy.

_Bitch, please._ He glared at her, narrowing his eyes. She scurried away, frightened.

The only women he found remotely attractive here at the moment were the Hyuuga Heiress (which he wasn't interested, but had to admit held some beauty…) and the Godaime Hokage's apprentice, Haruno Sakura.

Now, **that** was a beautiful woman.

He looked at his glass of water. Could it be…?

He remembered her from his younger days, thin and straight as a board. Her hair (which he had believed was dyed) was such a strange shade of pink, it was almost painful to look at.

Now, at the ripe age of 21, Haruno Sakura had pastel pink hair that fell in soft waves all the way down to her perfectly round ass, ending a little past it. Her body had matured, two beautiful life-savers adorning her chest (a big C, maybe a small D?), toned abs, mile-long legs that he wouldn't mind running his tongue upon, even her calves looked sexy!

Stopping his line of thought, Gaara looked at his glass… again. Someone _must_ have put something there, for that was **so not his normal behavior!** As if on cue, the sexy vixen herself stepped over where he was seated on the bar and took a seat right beside him. He sighed. She smiled.

"Can't wait to leave, huh?" He looked at her, a smirk slowly making his way on his face. She laughed.

Damn, even her laugh sounded like sex.

He let his eyes sweep over the room. Temari was busy with the Nara and Kankuro was busy somewhere. He looked back at her when she asked "Is that water?" pointing to his cup, and he replied with a vague "I think so.", narrowing his eyes at his glass. She giggled and took the cup away from him, finishing it. He vaguely remembered Kankuro giving him the glass when the party started, his glass full, saying something about how, as Kazekage, Gaara wasn't supposed to drink the stuff going around the dance floor, or he would surely end up in a hospital from poisoning. The redhead simply accepted the glass without any suspicions. Now, after he drank half the glass and Sakura oh so kindly drank the rest, he seriously didn't know if he should have just accepted the drink. His brain wasn't cooperating with him right now.

"Whoa." Sakura mumbled. He quirked a brow.

"What?"

"I want to leave this place so much, but now I'm dizzy… You water was strange." She said.

Now he was getting worried. Here was Haruno Sakura, most amazing medical ninja in the 5 nations (having surpassed her master a few years back), poison expert telling him that _his water_, which tasted fine to him, had tasted **strange** to her.

Not. Good.

Gaara grabbed her arm, dragging her towards the exit, fully intending to take both of them to the hospital when he bumped into the walking disaster commonly known as Naruto, who (as usual) promptly started screaming at his ear.

"HEY, GAARA! ENJOYING THE PARTY? HEY, SAKURA, WHERE HAVE YOU-" Dodging him, Gaara left the nightclub with a Konoha medic under his arm, thinking only about spending the night at the hospital.

Too bad they never made it.

0o0O0o0

Jade eyes opened to the sunlight invading the room, blinking lazily. He looked at the clock beside his head, reading _11:00_.

The first thing the redheaded male noticed was that he had been sleeping headfirst on the bed, something he never did. _Ever._

The second thing he noticed was the writing on his hand, the one he had been resting his head upon.

GxS 4ever.

_Oh Shit._

He furiously rubbed upon the marked, silently chanting _Please, be fake. Please, be fake!_

To his happiness, it smeared, proving it was fake. He let out a sigh of relief, thanking every God he knew while dragging his other hand along his face, only to slowly remove it and come face-to-face with a ring. A very simple golden bang. He looked at it some more, sleep and confusion quickly leaving his face as he took notice of his hand and his surroundings. Looking beside, a goddess slept peacefully, ignorant to the horrors she would face when she awakened. He looked around the room and groaned, sitting up and dropping his head upon his hands as he numbered his problems.

First: He clearly had had sex with Haruno Sakura.

Second: He didn't know where they were.

Third: He was **married**.

And last but not least, Fourth: He couldn't remember what happened last night.

"Hmm…" Sakura groaned beside him. He raised his head to gaze at her, a hopeless look on his face. She eyed him for a few seconds and said "What the hell happened to us?"

Gaara simply shook his head at her.

"I can't remember shit from last night. Damn, my face hurts, my legs hurt… Oh gods please tell me you're my supposed husband." She whispered. The redhead nodded, his head down again. She kept going. "Oh, thank the Gods. Better you than some random stranger. Well, apparently you fucked me good last night because I am so damn _sore_ like my first days as Tsunade's apprentice-" At this he smirked, his pride bursting. She was taking the news rather well. "-and when, or should I ask _where did we find someone to marry us?_ God, look at this mess, we completely trashed the room, the owner will probabl- Ooohh, I found some money! Wait a minute, where did we get so much money?! Oh shit, there's blood here-" Gaara felt like crying. What did they do last night?

The pinkette at this point was moving around the room, assisting the damage. "Kami, my face _hurts_! Hey, am I missing a tooth?" She asked, opening her mouth in front of him. He raised his head and laughed unabashedly at her. Her right canine was missing. "Wow. I wonder how **that** happened." He said between laughs. She frowned at him and went inside the bathroom. Gaara waited, holding his breath. Sakura didn't disappoint him.

"OH SHIT!"

At this point, Gaara was shaking with laughter.

Calming himself, he started dressing and collecting her clothes, which raised even more questions for him. Thankfully, they had some ninja clothes in the bag Sakura found the money. He frowned when he couldn't find his gourd anywhere on the room. "Sakura, let's go. We have to eat, find out where we are, and how to annul this marriage." He told her in a calm voice. She looked at him and sighed, dressing herself. She sincerely hoped this didn't get any worse.

Poor Sakura…

0o0O0o0

_**Meanwhile, in Suna…**_

Temari cautiously peered through the slight opening of her younger brother's room.

She saw him leaving with Sakura from the club and thought that he was finally getting laid, only to find his bedroom empty in the morning. Maybe they had gone to her room…

No, not in her room, either… Maybe they had already woken up… Possible, since it was already midday…

She spotted the Hyuuga prodigy sitting in the living room, reading. From his spot, he had a complete view of the stairs and also the front door. Approaching him, she calmly waited for him to acknowledge her. He looked up after a moment, arching a brow at the oldest of the Sand Siblings. "Neji-san, have you seen my brother?" She asked politely. Neji inclined his head towards the kitchen. "Kankuro-san is in the kitchen, drinking coffee with Naruto, Sasuke and Sai. Stupidest group I've ever seen, making drinking contests-" He was interrupted by Temari, who got more agitated by the second.

"No, no, Neji-san, I meant Gaara."

"No, I haven't seen him, and I've been here since almost 08:00." Neji replied, closing his book.

"Hey, did you at least see Sakura? Haven't seen her since yesterday." Sasuke said from the doorway.

"Neither of them."

"Hey forehead, where are you?" Ino screamed from the top of the stairs. "Did she already leave or she never made it home?"

"But… But…" Temari stuttered, trembling. Kankuro chose that moment to emerge from the kitchen.

"What happened, Temari? You look pale." He asked, holding his sister's arm. She embraced him and started to cry.

"Gaara's missing! So is Sakura!" She screamed on his shoulder.

"WHAAAATTTT?!" Screeched Ino.

0o0O0o0

When the couple arrived at the lobby, they were greeted by a young man wearing maroon clothes with a crude white circle in the front, clearly hand painted. He bowed to them and said, in a slightly shaky voice, to Gaara:

"B-Boss, good morning. T-The hostages are all here, as you ordered."

Sakura's jaw touched the floor, while Gaara simply looked at the boy with wide eyes, analyzing his words and also his clothes. _Apparently, he's my subordinate… Is that the Haruno circle? What now, are we mob bosses or something? _Schooling his features into his normal indifferent face, he ordered the boy to bring him the manager. While the guy went away, he turned to Sakura, who seemed to have recovered. He looked back and saw the same boy bringing the manager, who was shaking like a leaf. He shooed the boy away (who bowed to him and Sakura again) and turned his eyes to the bald man in front of him.

"Can you explain to us what is going on?" He asked in a calm voice. The manager's eyes almost popped right out of his head.

"Y-you don't remember?! You and your l-lady came here, asked for a r-room and suddenly, we were all hostages to your gang and-"

"Gang?" The Kazekage interrupted him, wide eyed. They had formed a **gang** in _one night_?

"W-well, from what I heard from your minions during t-the night, you defeated their last b-boss and they decided to follow you, because you were awesome." Baldy answered, lowering his head. Sakura, on the other hand, was looking at Gaara's pocket, where a white paper bracelet was peeking out. Pulling it, she discovered Gaara's name and the name of a clinic. Dread filled her body and she scooted closer to Gaara.

Baldy watched as the pink haired woman whispered on the gang leader's ear (who he assumed was her husband). She seemed to convince him of something when he turned to him and asked where the 24h clinic was. After receiving his answer, the leader released all the hostages and proceeded to head out, while his wife apologized profusely to him and gave him huge amounts of money from that big purse of hers to 'cover any damages made by her or any of the members of the gang', leaving with her husband soon after.

_What a sweet woman. Pity she's married to a man like that._

0o0O0o0

After the Konoha nin, with Temari, Kankuro and some Sand nin searched the whole village up and down trying to find their Kazekage and the Slug Blossom (as Sakura was known nowadays since she surpassed Tsunade, who was know as Slug Princess), the village's alarm had been sounded. The Kazekage and Haruno Sakura had disappeared.

0o0O0o0

Gaara couldn't help but wonder where his gourd was… He wasn't hopeless without it, but it was easier to move the sand inside it than just some random sand, since the gourd was infused with his chakra almost constantly, giving the sand within agility and strength superior to normal sand. To make things worse, it seemed they were at the capital of the Wind Country, Jouhetsu. Worse, they were practically at the slums. How had they arrived there?

He dismissed those thoughts as they arrived, gang and everything, at the clinic. They approached a medic, who instantly beamed at them and raised some papers. "I was about to send for you. Your results arrived. They're quite astonishing." He said, cheerfully. Sakura narrowed her eyes, taking the smile from the doctor's face and the file from his hands. Scanning her eyes over it, she groaned. "Gaara, it seems someone drugged us. Or rather, you, since I probably wouldn't be like this if I hadn't drank your water. Who gave you that, by the way?" She asked him, who was seething. Their gang, seeing their leader's face, shifted restlessly. They _so_ didn't want to be in the shoes of who drug their leader and his kickass wife.

"Kankuro."

The 'kickass wife' herself was looking at the amount of drugs that had been in their systems. She couldn't believe Kankuro had done this to his brother. Such a combination! Any more and their bodies would've gone into shock. Dismissing it for the moment, she turned to the doctor, whose plate read Masaru. "Do you remember where we came from when we arrived? And why did we come to this clinic anyway?"

The doctor had the grace to blush. "W-well, you had a cut in your thigh… I stitched it up. I asked for your blood tests because you two seemed pretty out of it, which was kinda strange, right in the morning-"

"Morning?! Yesterday morning?!" Sakura asked, agitated. Masaru only nodded. Gaara turned to his new wife. "This is worse than we thought. We didn't miss a few hours, we missed a whole day!" He furiously whispered, the Konoha Nin more stressed by the second. Suddenly she turned to the mob behind her. "You, there. How long have you been following us?" The small, brown haired guy blinked and answered, in a small voice "Since 5 in the afternoon yesterday…" "Did I have something strapped onto my back?" Gaara asked him. The guy shook his head in negative. The Kazekage sighed.

Meanwhile, Sakura was already scribbling some notes on a paper:

**23:30 – Left Kankuro's party**

**23:30 – 11:27 - ?**

**11:30 – 13:00 – 24h Clinic: Stitching Sakura's leg**

**13:00 – 17:00 - ?**

**17:00 – Gaara becomes mob boss**

**17:00 – 11:00 - ?/ Kidnapped and entire hotel? **

"So, we have to find out what happened during those times…" Gaara said, looking over her shoulder. He turned to the same boy from the hotel lobby, Hotaru. "You, come here."

Hotaru stopped between his boss and his lady, feeling more scared than ever. "Can you tell us what happened after we took control of your gang?" The lady, her name was Sakura, asked him in a sweet voice. He smiled at her, suddenly feeling at ease. "After he defeated our old boss and we pledged our alliance to both of you, you decided to gamble at the old casino by the river. Never seen a couple luckier than you two." He explained, making Gaara chuckle. That explained the money, at least. "After that, Sakura-sama said she was tired, so you said that if we wanted to be useful, we should find a place where she could rest. That's when we raided that hotel. You two spent the whole night up there." His amusement ended when Masaru, the doctor, piped in.

"Um, don't know if it helps, but you two seemed worried about your baby, although you don't look like you've been pregnant, miss. Is your child alright?" The word BABY made both shinobis freeze and look at each other, fear in their eyes. _What baby?!_

"You didn't have a baby with you when you arrived at the bar, boss." Hotaru said.

"A baby missing… Kami…" Sakura muttered, covering her face with her hands. How much worse could, _would_ it get?

"Doctor, did I carry a big jar on my back?" Gaara asked, hope blossoming in his chest only to be crushed when the medic denied.

"No, but your clothes suggested you came from the richer side of Jouhetsu, the north side of the city. Maybe that's where your baby and your jar are." He added.

Sakura sighed. This day was getting worse by the second.

They left the clinic with some answers and even more questions.

0o0O0o0

"Hey boss… Want us to look for your kid? We can ask some people around and if we find anything, we contact you." Hotaru asked, looking at Sakura, who seemed to be close to tears since she found out that there was a child missing. Gaara sighed. "That would be very helpful. Thank you." He said. Hotaru bowed to him and started spreading people around until there was only him and Sakura left. They kept walking until a shrill voice stopped them. A _very_ high-pitched squeal reached their ears and both cringed.

"Sakura-chan, it is you!" A brunette came running at them, her high heels clicking on the street. She stopped suddenly and frowned at them. "Dear, what are you wearing?! That is so out of style it's not even funny." She said, shaking her head and making her brown curls bounce slightly. Sakura frowned at her. "Who are you and at what time did I meet you?" She asked rudely. Gaara frowned at her. She usually was so polite…

"It's me, Mai! We met at lunch inside the Daimyo's fortress! Don't you remember me? We spend the whole afternoon at the gardens while your handsome husband-" She winked at Gaara, who glared at her. "-played billiard with the Daimyo." Hearing this, Gaara hoped he hadn't offended the Wind Country's Daimyo in any way… "I see your leg is better! You stopped that awful limping from yesterday. What was it again?... Something about a fight… Tsk, tsk, tsk… You should take more care where you pick your fights, mister." She scolded Gaara, who frowned at her.

"What fight?"

"Oh, don't play dumb! The circus left the city because of you! Your tricks with sand were much better than their tamed lions, so they left!" Mai chirped animatedly.

Sakura was already scribbling the new information on her paper.

**23:30 – Left Kankuro's party**

**23:30 – 11:30 - ?/ Fight on circus?/Loss of Gaara's gourd/ Baby?**

**11:30 – 13:00 – 24h Clinic: Stitching Sakura's leg**

**13:00 – 17:00 – Sakura with Mai at Daimyo's gardens/ Gaara plays billiards with Daimyo**

**17:00 – Gaara becomes mob boss**

**17:00 – 11:00 - Casino/ Sakura gets tired; Raided entire hotel**

"Wow, you did all that?" Asks Mai from Sakura's shoulder. "What's this? Baby? Gourd?" She murmured. "You have a baby?"

"Not anymore." Gaara answered dryly, only to be elbowed by Sakura. "Hn." He looked behind him to see a man coming towards them.

"Sabaku no Gaara, Sabaku no Sakura?" He asked formally. The redhead and the pinkette nodded. "The Daimyo wishes to see you. Immediately. I shall escort you." He started moving and, after a shared glance, the couple followed. Mai just followed them. She didn't really have anything else to do, anyway.

0o0O0o0

"Kazekage, what a pleasure to see you again! And Lady Sakura, your beauty is a comfort to my eyes! By the Gods, what happened to you?! You both look so exhausted as if you'll fall at any second! Come, sit here and eat something. Ah, yes, Gaara-san, I'll be sending some supplies with you when you return to Sunagakure and as such, the treaty will be complete." The Daimyo's voice boomed through the room. The redhead was seating himself when he shot up again, more alert than ever. "What? What treaty?" Gaara asked, alarmed.

"You told me yesterday of Suna's problems with supplies, since it's in the desert, and made a treaty with me. I really didn't know of Suna's situation until you told me… My father didn't tell me anything…" The Daimyo seemed truly saddened by that. Mai suddenly spoke. "Daimyo-sama, they lost their child!" The man just laughed at her statement.

Both Sakura and Gaara perked up at this, Gaara more discreetly, since he wasn't under the effects of hallucinogenics anymore.

"Do you know where he is, Daimyo-sama?" Sakura asked, her heart constricting painfully at the thought of the lost child. The Daimyo smiled.

"Of course! Gaara-san himself told me he had put the baby inside his jar for safekeeping. By the way, I haven't seen it since the show."

Sakura looked as if she was going to faint, while Gaara simply looked very pale. "Daimyo-sama, one more thing before we go. How did we arrive here?" He asked, already at the door with Sakura.

The Daimyo looked at him as if he had grown another head.

"With the circus, of course!"

0o0O0o0

Racing through the city, Sakura and Gaara managed to find the circus fairly quickly, thanks to their mob subordinates.

Gaara quickly located his gourd, dissolving it to reveal the sleeping child inside. Hotaru told them that he had found out that they took the child from his abusive father, who also happened to be the previous gang leader (defeated by the Kazekage in less than 3 minutes) and were taking him to Sunagakure, where his mother lived with her family. After thanking them all, Gaara offered his position to Hotaru, who refused and said: "Even if you're the leader of some ninja village, you'll always be our boss. You and your lady showed strength and kindness in equally huge amounts, yesterday. You treated all of us with respect, something no leader has done before in our gang, and Sakura-sama worried about our health, feeding and clothing us, mere brawlers from the slums. Should you come back here, you can count on us, boss." The others cheered them, an action that brought tears to Sakura's eyes.

They said their goodbyes and raced through the desert, finishing their short journey where it began.

It seemed that it was finally over.

0o0O0o0

Temari was a nervous wreck while Kankuro kept mumbling something incoherent about mushrooms. No one paid attention to him.

"What if he's harmed? What if they're torturing them?" Temari kept on saying, tears streaking her face. The search party had found no tracks whatsoever on the desert. Even Inuzuka Kiba & Akamaru tried tracking them but they said the trail was too old, that they must have left the village during the night. The Hokage had been informed and was also sending search parties all over the 5 nations. Naruto kept blaming himself, saying he should have paid attention to what was going on instead of drinking himself to oblivion on some stupid contest, Ino was bawling her eyes out, and the others tried to help the search in some way.

"I shouldn't have done that… Oh God, it's my fault…" Kankuro kept on mumbling by the sofa. Temari narrowed her eyes at him, all tears forgotten.

"What. Have. _You._** Done.**" She growled. Her brother cowered in fear, but his concern for the safety of his otouto overran his fear of his older sister.

"I… I gave him… some mixture of mushrooms… But it wasn't toxic, I swear, Temari!" He hastily said, seeing her fury rising with each word that left his lips. "I just wanted him to get a little loose, you know he almost never has any fun! But now I'm worried that he isn't able to protect himself…" He trailed off. Temari narrowed her eyes at him. "And why is that?"

"Because… I may have put ten times more than what he was supposed to take…" He mumbled. She couldn't take it anymore.

Temari used Kankuro to relieve all her stress over the situation.

0o0O0o0

"We're almost there, sweetie. Hang on, okay?"

"Okay."

They were a few miles away from Suna, taking a detour to an oasis. They needed a break because of Akira. They have been traveling for almost a day.

Akira was the gang leader's daughter they had rescued. Such a sweet child, very easy to please.

Slowing down, Sakura set her near the water so she could drink and clean herself while she filled their canteens. Gaara was walking around the oasis, his eyes on the horizon, now and then straying to the pinkette helping the child by the water. Their journey was coming to an end.

He couldn't help but think it had been fun. He wouldn't mind staying like this for more time.

_But for how long?_

He knew that as soon as they arrived in Suna, their 'marriage' would be annulled and they would go their separate ways.

His heart clenched at the mere thought.

Completing his walk, Gaara was approaching the woman and the girl when he overheard their talk.

"Are you the Kazekage-sama's wife?"

Gaara froze.

"Yes, for now."

"For now? I thought marriages were forever."

"Some marriages are, but Gaara-sama and I married by accident."

It was painful to hear her speaking of their marriage that way, even if he didn't know _why_ it hurt so much.

"Married by accident? Why?"

"Akira-chan, we drank too much and got married."

"But aren't you happy by his side?"

The child's question made Sakura gasp and Gaara hold his breath, waiting for her answer.

"I…"

"You…?"

_You… what? Are you happy with me, Sakura?_

"I…"

"Because I think he's happy with you."

Both adults had been stunned into silence by that sentence.

"My mama told me that love doesn't feed a marriage, that that was the reason Daddy left, because all they had was love. As she said that sometimes, love fades. But if you have respect for your partner and you truly care for him, your marriage can survive even without love."

Sakura was speechless. How come that child wasn't even 6 years old and was that intelligent?

Gaara made a mental note to thank Akira's mother for her brilliant child.

"The way Gaara-sama looks at you, Sakura-sama, is just like my Grandpa looks at my Grandma. He says he met Grandma when he was a child and he still loves her, even if she's old and wrinkly."

A tear made her way down Sakura's cheek.

Akira focused on something above Sakura's head. A deep voice startled the medic, making her turn around in a flurry of movement.

"I am willing to try."

Sakura looked at Gaara's face, a soft smile on his lips.

"I have accustomed myself with you completely on the span of two days. I doubt that will happen with another woman." He continued.

Akira smiled at the Kazekage.

Sakura threw herself at Gaara, embracing him tightly.

"Being sincere, I don't love you either, but I've loved before, and let me tell you…

This is better than love."

0o0O0o0

Three days.

Three days and no news of them.

None.

_Whatsoever._

When Temari was thinking of leaving to search for Gaara herself, she had the shock of her life.

There was Gaara, and Sakura.

And some unknown kid.

Right there, crossing the village's gates, with everyone gaping at them as they walked side by side, a Gaara-child-Sakura formation, almost as if they're a family.

Her feet started moving before her brain could process what was happening. Soon enough, she was hugging her little brother, who wasn't so little anymore, by his waist, crying and thanking every deity known to her for the safe return of her brother. To her surprise, he hugged her back, whispering to her calmly. "It's okay, I'm not hurt, Temari. Calm down, everything's fine."

Temari exploded.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?! WHY WERE YOU MISSING FOR THREE DAYS?!" She looked at Sakura, who was talking to who she guessed was the mother of the child they brought along with them.

"Temari, calm down. I'll explain everything later. But now I have to speak to someone." He said and went to talk to the civilian Sakura was talking to.

Leaving a baffled Temari standing in the middle of the street wondering why Gaara and Sakura were holding hands.

0o0O0o0

"_**MARRIED?!**_"

"Yes, married." Sakura said.

"We don't remember what happened on the first day, the second was spend looking for clues of the first day and the third was spent crossing the desert." Gaara explained.

"But… What happened on the first day?" Asked Hinata. Everyone looked at Sakura who was taking a note out of her pocket.

"Here." She offered the paper. Everyone craned their necks to see it.

**23:30 – Left Kankuro's party**

**23:30 – 01:30 – Watching circus' performances**

**02:00 – 08:00 – Traveling with circus to Jouhetsu**

**08:00 – 09:30 – Marriage of Gaara and Sakura as soon as they arrive in Jouhetsu**

**09:30 – 10:00 – Gaara picks a fight with circus' boss saying they're pathetic**

**10:00 - 11:30 – Saving of Akira from the mob boss / Akira is hidden in Gaara's gourd inside the artists' tent / Sakura is injured**

**11:30 – 13:00 – 24h Clinic: Stitching Sakura's leg**

**13:00 – 17:00 – Sakura with Mai at Daimyo's gardens/ Gaara plays billiards with Daimyo and signs a treaty with him**

**17:00 – Mob boss comes after his daughter/Gaara beats him up**

**17:10 – Mob decides Gaara is the new boss**

**17:20 – 21:00 – Making money at the casino**

**22:00 – 23:00 – Taking control of Great Lotus Hotel / Mob keeps the staff hostage**

**23:00 – 11:00 – Gaara and Sakura sleep**

**11:00 – Start of new day without memory of the previous one**

"Oh. My. God." Someone said.

"And it's all Kankuro's fault." Said Sakura. Everyone turned angry eyes to Kankuro, who was trying to make himself disappear. She stood up and him, thinking he was going to receive the beating of his life, covered his head with his arms.

Only for Sakura to gently pry his arms away from his head and kiss his forehead.

"Thank you, Kankuro."

Everyone looks astonished as Sakura goes back to Gaara's side, gives him a peck on the lips and sits beside him.

"We've decided to stay married." Gaara announces.

"_**WHHHAAAAATTTTT?!**_"

0o0O0o0

"Are you sure about this, Sakura-chan?"

"Yes, Naruto. For the last time, don't worry, I'm sure. The papers are going to be finalized by tomorrow and we'll officially be recognized as a married couple here in Suna."

"Ok, then, I'll just… Well, I'm waiting over there, teme." Naruto said quietly, looking from Sasuke to Sakura.

"Aa."

The wind blew her long pink on her face, and Sasuke caught a lock and twirled it between his fingers. Sakura simply stared at him, waiting. She knew he would say when he was ready.

"I had thought that… When I… That you and me… That us…" Sasuke tried, but couldn't say what he wanted. It was as if there was too much to say and too little words to say it.

Sakura smiled at him. Sasuke was almost precious stumbling upon words like this.

"That maybe… One day…"

"I understand. But, have you ever believe in an US, ever?" She asked him. He sighed.

"Yes."

She sighed.

"I'm happy with him."

"Then I'm happy for you." He replied.

Stepping away and brushing his finger over the tear that escaped her eye, Sasuke planted a soft kiss upon her forehead, turned around and left.

And didn't look back.

0o0O0o0

_Five years later…_

Gaara looked at the redheaded boy in front of him.

4 years old, Sabaku no Souji was already learning how to control sand, the kekkei genkai he received from him.

He almost couldn't believe in it himself.

To think that because Shukaku had been inside him since his birth his chakra had altered him permanently to the point where moving sand became a part of who he was, not a symbol of the demon inside him… To know that he wouldn't just leave a stone statue inside the Kage Room, but a lineage, a _legacy_…

He had no words to describe it.

While Souji was struggling to complete his shield, Gaara remembered the last five years of his life.

His perfect wife, with whom he rarely fought. Now Head of the Suna Medical Center, his Kazehime was loved by everyone in his village, even those stupid elders.

The permanent alliance with Konoha, since Tsunade was like a mother to Sakura and Naruto was like a brother to her.

His son, his pride and joy since Sakura told him she was expecting…

His son's essay of Father's Day…

_Flashback_

_Gaara was walking in front of his son's room when a strong breeze ruffled the papers on Souji's desk, one of them floating to him. He caught it out of mere reflex and was going to put it back when he saw what it was. The Father's Day essay, written in his son's shaky writing. He couldn't help but read it, only a little._

_My Father_

_My name is Sabaku no Souji and I am 4 years old. My father is the Sunagakure no Godaime Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara._

_I went to ask my mother about what to write on this essay, in other words, I went to ask her who was my father._

_My mother looked at me with a very serious face. I felt like I had eaten chocolate before lunch. _

"_Souji," She said. "You'll have to ask your father about that. But keep in mind that he had a very difficult childhood and it might me painful for him to remember it."_

_A few days later, I asked my father if he loved my mother._

"_No, I don't. In fact, your mother loved another man when she married me."_

_I spent days without speaking to him, thinking he had taken her chance to be loved. Every time I saw him and turned around, he laughed._

"_Why don't you ask your mother about that?" He offered, chuckling._

_And so I went. _

"_Are you stupid?" Was her answer. "It doesn't matter if I love your father or not, he makes me happy._

_He wasn't the perfect guy always, Souji." She continued. "When he was your age, he had a demon inside him. He killed people to feel alive, because no one wanted him. He even tried to _

_kill me… _

_Only when he met your Uncle Naruto that he changed. He found his worth. That's why he became Kazekage so young. He doesn't have the demon anymore, though."_

_I couldn't believe my ears. My father, a killer?_

"_Gaara didn't know the meaning of family, Souji. __**We**__ are his first true family. If he had a choice to go back and live a happy life in exchange for the life he has now, I don't think he _

_would."_

"_Do you still love that other guy?" I asked her. Her answer made me smile for days._

"_After being married to your father for 5 years?! That's impossible, kiddo. What's not to love about him?" She laughed._

_My mother made me understand why my father would sometimes just look blank, as if he was stuck in a memory. He had everything to just go insane, but he held his own._

_Yesterday, my father was a monster, hated and shunned by his village._

_Today he's a leader. He's the Kazekage. _

_He's my hero__. _

_Gaara didn't know when the tears had started, but that's how Sakura found him._

_End Of Flashback_

"Hey, you two. Time to eat." His wife's voice pulled him from his memories, he looked at Souji, only to see a perfect sand shield around him. Gaara smiled.

"Well done, Souji. Very well done. Now drop it and go wash your hands. Your mother is calling for us."

"Hai, Chichiue." Souji smiled.

Together, father and son entered the house, receiving a hug from a pink haired woman with a big belly.

_Seems like I owe you a lot, eh, Kankuro?_

**THE END**

* * *

**I cried writing this. Seriously.**

**Please review.**

Chiikyuggi™®


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